


♦ Rewind

by EvelynLawliet



Category: Death Note
Genre: Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Character Death, Emotional Manipulation, Episode Related, M/M, Mildly Dubious Consent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-17
Updated: 2015-05-17
Packaged: 2018-03-30 22:42:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3954589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvelynLawliet/pseuds/EvelynLawliet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>That was the moment when Near truly allowed himself to look at L, and what he saw saddened him to no end. L was skinnier than what he remembered from the pictures Watari used to send him every now and then, the bags under his eyes making his head look more like a skull, the bones popping at every place in sight. His arms were colored in red and purple from bruises, hickeys, teeth and finger marks. The great L Lawliet, first of his name, had become a toy in Kira’s hand.</p>
            </blockquote>





	♦ Rewind

**Author's Note:**

> I completely blame this on vanliet from tumblr. She posted an amazing Lawlight rant and I just couldn't help myself. Also, this is the first time I've written from Near's point of view, and I hope I made him justice. Without further ado, I hope you all like it!

Near was absolute, one hundred percent sure he had caught Light Yagami, and there was nothing else the so-called genius could do. It had been more or less easy, if he were being honest, something he hadn’t expected at all, considering L, his mentor and the only one he truly respected, hadn’t managed to complete the task.

That is, the one he _used_ to respect. Because L was dead, and as much as that pained him, there was nothing he could do but honoring his name. Of course, he would never let his truly feelings towards his mentor show, what with that being a show of weakness, but, to him at least, it was clear that they were there.

Mihael understood him when it came to L. Actually, Near believed he was the only one who could, taking into account that he was also meant to be his successor. Yet, pride had come first, and now, even though they had worked together and Mihael had died so their plan could follow its path, there was no coming back.

When Near put it all that way, it was easy for one to comprehend just why Yagami’s laugh took him by surprise. Kira threw his head back, as if what Near had just said was the most hilarious thing anyone could have uttered. Upon regaining control over his fit, however, the expression that took over Yagami’s features could only be described as one of pure evil. There was a smirk painting his lips and for a small, fleeting moment, Near was sure he saw Yagami’s eyes shining red like blood.

“Don’t you think you’ve been hiding for too long? Join us, darling,” Yagami said, and it was obvious that he wasn’t talking to anyone in the room. His tone sent a gelid shiver of fear down Near’s spine, but he refused to let his form shake. There was venom under the masked as sweet words, yet another shield Yagami used to hide behind.

A form could be distinguished from the shadows then, following Yagami’s command. Everyone’s attention quickly turned towards whoever it was, except for Near’s and Yagami’s, who kept staring at each other, daring one another to break away from their gazes. Unfortunately, it was Near who lost the battle, simply because, with the corner of his eyes, he could recognize who exactly was joining them.

As L walked towards them, Near kept his expression stoic, even as his mind was working at lightning speed, trying to understand just what was happening. L was _dead_ , how could it be that he was between them? Perhaps the Death Note didn’t only kill, but gave life as well. Then again, it would have been pointless for Yagami to murder L just to bring him back.

The following events disgusted Near to no end. L stopped beside Yagami like a dog held by a leash, but of course Kira wouldn’t be satisfied with just that. Instead, he pulled L in front of him, L’s back to his chest, and wrapped his arms around him possessively, one hand slightly pulling his shirt down to expose his collarbone, the other with its fingers spread across his stomach.

But the worst part was that L just stood there, expression vague, as if he couldn’t even completely grasp where or _what_ he was. Yagami easily towered over him from behind and, when his tongue darted out to lick at L’s neck, Near’s attention was drawn towards the marks covering the once white skin of his mentor.

That was the moment when Near truly allowed himself to look at L, and what he saw saddened him to no end. L was skinnier than what he remembered from the pictures Watari used to send him every now and then, the bags under his eyes making his head look more like a skull, the bones popping at every place in sight. His arms were colored in red and purple from bruises, hickeys, teeth and finger marks. The great L Lawliet, first of his name, had become a toy in Kira’s hand.

“Surprised?” Yagami asked, now grinning and running his fingers gently through L’s locks. The way L followed the movement was unconscious, Near quickly noticed, even if it was also blatant that he was seeking any kind of attention or caress Yagami provided. “I’m not. He’s been working with me for quite a while now, my own private detective, aren’t you, sweetheart?” he chuckled, L’s form trembling, eyes focused on a point lost in space.

Gasps were heard all around, until Lidner stepped forward, trying to challenge Yagami’s authority. “What is the meaning of this? Who is this man?” she inquired, her tone leaving room for no discussion. Or at least that was how she intended it to sound, Near believed. However, it only made Yagami laugh again, the sound making L’s shoulders hunch, as if he were attempting to curl into himself.

“Hm, why don’t you tell them, dear? Tell them all about our little plan,” Yagami told L, biting at his earlobe. The sexual innuendos of his movements were meant to unsettle those around them, Near was sure, but at this point nothing could surprise him anymore. In front of him was the man he had admired his entire life, being manhandled as a rag doll.

L did not look up when he spoke. “Kira is justice. This world is rotten. Something needed to be done. Kira was the only one who could do it. I, L Lawliet, shall stand by Kira’s side, in his search for justice and the cleansing of the world,” he said robotically, making it incredibly easy to notice just how many times Yagami had brainwashed him with all that nonsense.

Near felt sick. All this seemed like a nightmare, but he was well aware that it was just reality. L was human, after all, even if he tried to make his successors at Wammy’s believe he wasn’t, and he had been corrupted by the sweet words of the devil. “Very well put, beloved. As my dearest L has said, I, Kira, am the only hope for mankind. Of course we both understand that killing people is a crime, but it had to be done. The moment I got the notebook, I knew I had to do it; a purpose given to me. The only one who can create a new world is me.”

Stunned silence falls all around. The next one who dares breaking it is Mikami, who had been quiet until that very moment, very likely, just as everyone else, too dumbfounded to speak. “Yes! This is the ruler of the new world’s order! This is Kira, bow down and profess your love unto him!” He then turned himself to Yagami, falling to his knees. “Forgive me for failing you, I hereby humbly ask for your forgiveness, God,” Mikami uttered pitifully.

At least for one thing the pointless speech was worth: guns were immediately cocked and pointed towards Yagami and L, forming a circle around them, much like a roulette. “Light Yagami, L Lawliet,” Near finally allowed himself to speak after analyzing the entire situation. “You are both under arrest for the crimes committed under the alias of Kira. You shall wait incarcerated for the judging or your case, moment when the day of your executions shall be decided. As for Teru Mikami, the same applies, however your sentence has already been given: your execution shall take place exactly seven days from now.”

With the case closed, Near turned his attention back to his toys, certain that it was over. It was a mistake, though, because it made it impossible for him to see the exact moment Yagami’s mask fell. “Just according to the plan,” he smiled, just as the circle of armory fell before he and L, forcing Near to peak up. “Show him,” Yagami ordered.

Not even paying attention to the bodies around them, L lifted his shirt and, attached to his skin, was a page of the Death Note, just where Yagami had had his fingers spread over. The names of the Task Force and SPK were all there, the exact time of their deaths followed. So it had all been a plan, one articulated by the greatest genius of the century and the man who broke him.

“You didn’t think I would truly trust everything to Mikami, did you?” Yagami laughed, his fingers trailing up and down L’s sides. As soon as he finished the sentence, Teru Mikami fell to the floor, agonizing in pain, and Yagami lifted L’s shirt a bit more to reveal his name on the page. “That idiot could never have done it. No, I needed someone who I could really trust; someone who would never betray my confidence. So I chose the one who had fallen in love with me. Pitiful, isn’t it?” he whispered against L’s neck.

By now, Near knew there was nothing else he could do. If he tried to run, either Yagami or L would catch him, and he would end up dead either way, considering it was ridiculously obvious that his was the last name written. Yagami turned L’s head towards him, fingers moving him at his will. “Look at me,” he commanded and L obeyed without a second’s hesitation, and that was the moment when Near noticed it: his eyes, void of life until that very instant, shone with love and adoration once they connected with Yagami’s. It was too late to save him; L was doomed for life.

“Off,” Yagami continued, sliding L’s shirt away from his body and throwing it to the side as if it personally affronted him. For his part, L simply stood still, unable to control the way his body trembled whenever Yagami’s fingers grazed his skin. Kira admired his masterpiece for a few instants and, apparently not even trying to hold back his impulses, pulled L even closer towards him, his hand on the small of his back preventing L from putting any distance between them.

As expected, L let him kiss him, and that was the only moment when there seemed to have some speck of life left inside of him, his hand reaching up so that his fingertips would only gently graze Yagami’s cheek. Unlike Near had thought, Yagami let him, and _oh_ , so that was what was happening. He fed L with hopes, allowing him to believe one day he could feel as deeply towards him as L did. And if that wasn’t the cruelest of all lies, Near didn’t know what was.

His thoughts were interrupted, however, by a painful clench of his chest. Near froze in place, the pain blinding him and stopping him from doing anything else. Yagami broke the kiss when his breathing hitched slightly, but before he even thought about looking Near’s way the back of his hand carefully traced L’s cheek, making the man close his eyes and lean into the touch.

Cruel and viciously, that was the way Kira was slowly killing L, at every day, every minute, every second, every breath, every heartbeat. A heart attack was uncalled for in this scenario. The last thing Near saw before his vision went dark was L once again positioning himself in front of Yagami as the man ripped the page of the Death Note away from his stomach to reveal words carved into his skin.

 _Game over_.

**Author's Note:**

> vanliet's rant: http://vanliet.tumblr.com/post/119159609006/rant-on-lawlight-again
> 
> Work also posted to my tumblr: evelynlawliet.tumblr.com . c:


End file.
